A Perspective from our CEO and President of the Executive Strategy Board

IoT

At its core, the Internet of Things (IoT) is the network connecting software-enabled smart devices. The IoT segment is being driven by vertical market applications for companies undergoing digitization for greater efficiency and transparency, as well as emerging applications such as smart cities, smart agriculture, tracking, automation, connected manufacturing, smart communication and more.

There are two type of connectivity requirements: those users that need to collect ongoing IoT and M2M data for information and data gathering (i.e. sensor, environmental, maintenance, surveillance, etc), and those that need the data for smarter operations and decision making (smart devices, smart city, tracking).

In the connectivity cases emphasis is placed on affordable, ultra-reliable, low latency connectivity systems with greater transparency and ease of operations.

The success of today’s organizations and service providers require networks that are easy to plan, install and operate, yet provide affordable connections made possible by highly efficient, small and very inexpensive satellite terminals with quick deployment for fast revenue generation and OPEX reduction.

That’s why ST Engineering iDirect provides its service provider partners with the ability to offer satellite-based connectivity geostationary-based (GEO) satellite solutions for fixed and mobile IoT environments. This new offering entails a complete connectivity solution based on a flexible platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering easing the entry for its service provider partners into IoT, while reducing the upfront capital investments and operational complexity to create their own IoT platform.

Our solution serves a variety of connectivity needs for a multitude of markets and use cases.

Transportation, which includes land, rail, maritime and aero, is by far the largest satellite IoT vertical due to satellite’s reach, reliability, and added security benefits.
Within the IoT Transportation, market cargo and asset tracking management applications are the greatest drivers, due to the growing number of sensors and terminals combined with the associated analytics and insights.

Energy exploration, production, refineries and pipeline monitoring, SCADA services are largest use cases and drivers. Most of the IoT data collected today is used for real-time control or anomaly detection. The collected data is also being used for predictive maintenance or to analyze workflows to optimize operating efficiency by direct interactions, to control industrial processes and monitor, gather, and process real-time data.

Site Operations: Safety, security and focus on critical areas of excavation sites

Drone Beyond Line of Sight: for inspection, survey

Utilities Use Cases:

Network Monitoring – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA): Continuously monitor distribution network for voltage fluctuations, outages and peaks in service demand. Also applies to water flow and pressure

Advanced Meter Reading: replaces need for on-site technicians

Asset tracking: trucks & crews

Drone Beyond Line of Sight: for power line inspection

In Agriculture and Construction, equipment and resource management through sensor data collection and tracking are driving revenues and growth. Other basic requirements and use cases are telematics, meter reading, livestock tracking, weather conditions and employee tracking for safety and security.

Drone Beyond Line of Sight: for crop inspection, high value crop monitoring and maintenance

5G will accelerate massive machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity to support IoT, whether that comprises sensors, surveillance systems or automated teller machines (ATMs) across an array of converged connectivity platforms capable of bringing together some or all of the following: Wi-Fi, LPWAN, cellular and satellite (could be GEO, MEO and LEO). The use of a converged platform or hybrid network, from an integrator’s perspective, simplifies the solution building, reduces the overall cost of connectivity while increasing and optimizing the overall coverage capabilities. We believe that satellite will play an important role in the 5G-converged world not only for backhauling these massive amounts of data from aggregation points but with today’s innovations in space and ground segments the opportunity lies in providing affordable connectivity in remote places for both fixed and mobility use cases.